JP7370818B2 - Image forming apparatus equipped with a cleaning unit that cleans a light transmitting member - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a multifunction device, and in particular to cleaning a light transmitting member that blocks a light emitting part of a scanner unit that scans a photoreceptor with light according to image information. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a cleaning unit.

In order to prevent foreign matter such as toner and dust from entering the scanner unit, the light exit opening is covered with a light transmitting member such as a transparent cover glass. However, since foreign matter may adhere to the outer surface of the light transmitting member, some image forming apparatuses are equipped with a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the light transmitting member.

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a cleaning member moves on a light-transmitting member as a process cartridge is inserted into and removed from a printer main body. Further, in Patent Document 1, the cleaning member is brought into contact with the light transmitting member to clean the light transmitting member during the forward pass period (the period during which the process cartridge is inserted into the printer main body). On the other hand, during the return trip (the period during which the process cartridge is pulled out from the printer), the cleaning member is separated from the light transmitting member, and the cleaning member is returned to the cleaning starting position without cleaning the light transmitting member.

JP2008-242432

In Patent Document 1, during the return trip, that is, when the cleaning member is returned to the cleaning start position while being separated from the light-transmitting member, the cleaning member is separated from the light-transmitting member by the force of the spring. However, if the spring loses its elasticity due to durability, the cleaning member may come into contact with the light transmitting member during the return trip. Since the direction of movement of the cleaning member on the return trip is opposite to the direction of movement during cleaning, if the cleaning member comes into contact with the light-transmitting member during the return trip, dirt may return from the cleaning member to the light-transmission member.

An object of the present invention is to prevent the cleaning part from coming into contact with the light-transmitting member when the cleaning unit moves in a state where the cleaning part, which cleans the light-transmitting member by contacting the light-transmitting member, is separated from the light-transmitting member. There is a particular thing.

The present invention for solving the above problems is a scanner unit that scans a surface to be scanned with light according to image information, and includes a light transmitting member that blocks the exit of the light of the scanner unit. a scanner unit, a detachable unit that is detachable from the apparatus main body, a cleaning unit that cleans the light transmitting member and that moves in conjunction with the attaching and detaching operation of the detachable unit; A guide for the cleaning unit that guides the movement of the cleaning unit, and an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording material according to image information, wherein the cleaning unit moves along the guide of the cleaning unit. and a swinging member that is swingable relative to the main body and has a cleaning section that comes into contact with the light transmitting member to clean the light transmitting member, and the cleaning section is configured to clean the light transmitting member. the first guide of the swinging member when the cleaning unit moves along the guide of the cleaning unit while in contact with the first guide of the swinging member; and A second guide of the swinging member when moving along the guide of the cleaning unit is different, and the swinging member moves from a state where it is guided by the first guide to a state where the swinging member moves along the guide of the cleaning unit. a switching section that is a part of the second guide, the switching section being a part of the second guide, the switching section being made of an elastic wire; When the swinging member moving guided by a guide comes into contact with the switching part, the switching part is pushed by the attitude switching part of the swinging member and elastically deforms, and the switching part further moves into the attitude switching part. When pushed, the posture switching section overcomes the switching section and returns to its original position due to elasticity, so that the posture switching section becomes movable along the second guide. .

According to the present invention, when the cleaning unit moves in a state where the cleaning unit that cleans the light-transmitting member by contacting the light-transmitting member is separated from the light-transmitting member, it is possible to prevent the cleaning unit from coming into contact with the light-transmitting member. .

Cross-sectional view of image forming device Cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the cartridge inserted into the device main body Perspective view of cartridge View of the cleaning unit viewed in the -X direction and +X direction Perspective view of slide member Perspective view of rotating member and swinging member Perspective and cross-sectional views of the insertion guide Cross-sectional view showing the engagement state of the insertion guide and the slide member Perspective view of insertion guide Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is inserted Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is inserted Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is inserted Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is inserted Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is inserted Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is removed Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is removed Diagram of cleaning unit operation when cartridge is removed Diagram showing Example 2 Diagram showing Example 2

[Example 1]
(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
An image forming apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. A cassette 2 containing recording materials P is removably housed in the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1 . A feeding roller 3 is arranged near the end of the cassette 2 to pick up the recording material. The recording material P picked up from the cassette 2 is conveyed to the registration rollers 5.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes four cartridges (process cartridges) 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. Hereinafter, the four cartridges will be referred to as cartridge 12 to represent them. For other members as well, when representing that member, YMCK after the number is omitted. The four cartridges 12 are replacement parts that are replaced when the toner contained therein runs out. The four cartridges 12 are each a combination of first units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K and second units 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K. The first unit 6 includes drum-shaped photoreceptors 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K; chargers 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K that charge the surface of the photoreceptor 7; a cleaning blade 10Y that removes residual toner from the photoreceptor 7; It has 10M, 10C, and 10K. The second unit 9 is provided with developing rollers 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K that supply toner to the photoreceptor 7.

The scanner unit 13 scans the photoreceptor (scanned surface) 7 with a laser beam according to image information. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 7. Toner is supplied from the developing roller 11 to the electrostatic latent image, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 7.

An intermediate transfer unit 16 is provided above the four cartridges (removable units) 12. The intermediate transfer unit 16 includes a rotatable endless intermediate transfer belt 18 stretched around a plurality of tension rollers. On the inner surface of the intermediate transfer belt 18, primary transfer rollers 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K are arranged. The primary transfer roller 19 forms primary transfer portions 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K together with the photoreceptor 7 via the intermediate transfer belt 18. In the primary transfer section 20 , when a voltage with a polarity opposite to the charged polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer roller 19 , the toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor 7 to the intermediate transfer belt 18 . As a result, toner images of four colors are superimposed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 18. In this embodiment, a unit including an intermediate transfer belt 18, a plurality of tension rollers for stretching the intermediate transfer belt 18, and a primary transfer roller 19 is configured to be removably attached to the main body of the apparatus as an intermediate transfer unit 16.

The secondary transfer roller 21 contacts the intermediate transfer belt 18 and forms a secondary transfer section 17 with a roller on the opposite side with the intermediate transfer belt 18 interposed therebetween. In the secondary transfer section 17, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 18 is secondarily transferred onto the recording material P. The cleaning unit 22 removes toner that was not completely transferred to the recording material P during the secondary transfer and remained on the intermediate transfer belt 18 . The toner removed by the cleaning unit 22 is transported to a toner collection container (not shown) via a toner transport section (not shown).

The recording material P on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing section 25, and is heated while passing through a nip formed by a heating unit 25a and a pressure roller 25b inside the fixing section 25. In this process, the toner image is fixed on the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing section 25 is conveyed to a pair of discharge rollers 26 and discharged to a recording material stacking section 27 .

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one cartridge 12 installed in the image forming apparatus 1 and its vicinity as viewed in the +Y direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cartridge 12. In addition, in FIG. 3, the second unit 9 is omitted from illustration in order to simplify the explanation.

The scanner unit 13 is arranged below the cartridge 12. Laser light L emitted from the opening 32 of the housing 30 of the scanner unit 13 passes through the opening 32 and is irradiated onto the photoreceptor 7 . The housing 30 of the scanner unit 13 is provided with a cover glass 31 as a light transmitting member that closes the opening 32 while transmitting the laser beam L. This cover glass 31 prevents foreign matter such as toner, paper powder, and dust from entering the housing 30 of the scanner unit 13.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a stay member 33 made of sheet metal and forming a main body frame that partitions the cartridge 12 and the scanner unit 13. An opening 34 for guiding the laser beam L transmitted through the cover glass 31 of the scanner unit 13 to the photoreceptor 7 is provided in the stay member 33 at a position facing the cover glass 31.

The stay member 33 supports an insertion guide 29 that serves as a guide when inserting and removing the cartridge 12. When a user inserts the cartridge 12 into the image forming apparatus 1, the user inserts the cartridge 12 so that the rib 40 integrally formed on the first unit 6 of the cartridge 12 is guided by the insertion guide 29.

(cleaning unit)
Next, the configuration of the cleaning unit 60 will be explained in detail. 4(a) is a diagram of the cleaning unit 60 viewed in the −X direction, and FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c) are diagrams of the cleaning unit 60 viewed in the +X direction. 5(a) is a perspective view of a sliding member 61 provided in the cleaning unit 60, FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view of a rotating member provided in the cleaning unit 60, and FIG. 6(b) is a perspective view of the cleaning unit 60 is a perspective view of a swinging member provided in FIG.

The cleaning unit 60 is supported so as to be movable in ±Y directions with respect to the insertion guide 29, and moves in the +Y direction (first direction) when the cartridge 12 is inserted, and in the -Y direction (second direction) when the cartridge 12 is pulled out. Move to. The insertion guide 29 that guides the movement of the cartridge 12 also serves as a guide for the cleaning unit 60. This improves the accuracy of the relative position between the cartridge 12 and the cleaning unit 60, and the interlocking of the cartridge 12 and the cleaning unit 60 becomes smooth.

The insertion rib 40 of the cartridge 12 is provided with a first contact portion 41 and a second contact portion 42 that engage with the cleaning unit 60 (see FIG. 3).

The cleaning unit 60 includes a slide member (main body of the cleaning unit) 61 that is supported by the insertion guide 29 so as to be movable in the ±Y direction, and a swing member 62 that is swingably supported with respect to the slide member 61. Further, the cleaning unit 60 includes a rotation member 66 rotatably supported on the shaft portion 61d of the slide member 61, and a compression spring 65.

The slide member 61 has a contact portion 61a against which the first contact portion 41 of the cartridge 12 contacts when the cartridge 12 is inserted, and a shaft portion 61d for rotatably holding the rotation member 66. Furthermore, it has an engaging portion 61e that engages the slide member 61 with the insertion guide 29 so that the slide member 61 (the cleaning unit 60) moves along the insertion guide 29.

The rotating member 66 is provided with a contact member that allows the second contact portion 42 of the cartridge 12 to contact and move the cleaning unit 60 when the cartridge 12 is pulled out from the apparatus main body (when the cartridge 12 is moved in the −Y direction). A portion 66a is provided. Further, the rotating member 66 includes an attitude holding portion 66b that engages with the insertion guide 29 and maintains the attitude of the cleaning unit 60. Note that the posture holding section 66b functions when the cartridge 12 is pulled out from the main body of the apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 6(b), the swinging member 62 includes a cleaning sheet 63 fixed to the bottom of the swinging member 62 and cleaning the cover glass 31 by contacting the surface of the cover glass 31. A wiping member 64 is attached to the sheet 63 in an overlapping manner. The spring 65 is provided between the slide member 61 and the swinging member 62, and urges the swinging member 62 in the −Z direction. Due to this biasing force, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 come into contact with the surface of the cover glass 31. In this example, a cleaning sheet 63 and a wiping member 64 are provided as a cleaning unit that comes into contact with the cover glass 31, but the configuration of the cleaning unit is not limited to this.

The cleaning sheet 63 is a folded film-like sheet material (made of polyester), and as the swinging member 62 swings, the tip of the cleaning sheet 63 in the +Y direction comes into contact with the cover glass 31 or comes away from the cover glass 31. or separate. When the cleaning unit 60 moves in the +Y direction with the cleaning sheet 63 in contact with the cover glass 31, foreign matter on the cover glass 31 is scraped off by the cleaning sheet 63.

The wiping member 64 is made of polyester nonwoven fabric and collects foreign matter on the cover glass 31.

4(a) and (b) show the relationship between the sliding member 61 and the swinging member 62 when the cleaning unit 60 is moving in the +Y direction and cleaning the cover glass 31 with the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64. It shows. FIG. 4(c) shows the relationship between the slide member 61 and the swing member 62 when the cleaning unit 60 is moving in the −Y direction with the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 separated from the cover glass 31. There is. Note that in the cleaning unit 60 of this example, the sliding member 61 is movable in the direction away from the cover glass 61 so that the swinging member 62 is completely separated from the cover glass 31. In this case, the first holding part 62b and the second holding part 62c of the swinging member 62 are held by the first supporting part 61b and the second supporting part 61c of the sliding member 61. On the other hand, when the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are in contact with the cover glass 31, the first holding part 62b and the second holding part 62c of the swinging member 62 are connected to the first supporting part 61b and the second support portion 61c.

The swinging member 62 has an attitude switching part 62a that engages with the insertion guide 29 to switch the attitude of the swinging member 62, and two abutting parts 62da that abut against the cover glass 31 by the force of the spring 65 during cleaning. The end portion 62de of the abutting portion 62da has the role of reliably separating the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 from the cover glass 31 by abutting against the cover glass 31 during non-cleaning. Note that the area of the cover glass 31 that the abutment portion 62da abuts is an area through which the laser light does not pass.

(insertion guide)
Next, the insertion guide 29 will be explained. 7(a) is a perspective view of the insertion guide 29, and FIG. 7(b) is a sectional view of the insertion guide 29 when viewed in the +Y direction. The insertion guide 29 includes a guide portion 50 that engages with the insertion rib 40 of the cartridge 12 and guides insertion and removal, and a swing member 62 when the cleaning unit 60 moves in the +Y direction (when cleaning the cover glass 31). It has a rail-shaped regulating section 51 that suppresses lifting of the posture switching section 62a on the tip side. Furthermore, a rail-shaped separation holding section (second guide of the swinging member 62) 52, a posture switching lever (switching section) 53, a notch section 54, and a rotating member holding section 55 that maintains the posture of the rotating member 66 are provided. It is equipped with

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a state in which the insertion guide 29 and the slide member 61 are engaged. The slide support part 70u of the insertion guide 29 and the upper engagement part 61e of the slide member 61 engage with each other, and the slide support part 70d and the lower engagement part 61e engage with each other, so that the slide member 61 (cleaning unit 60 ) is held by the insertion guide 29. As described above, when the cleaning unit 60 is cleaning the cover glass 31, the two abutting portions 62da of the swinging member 62 abut against the cover glass 31 due to the force of the spring 65. At this time, the reaction force in the +Z direction from the cover glass 31 is received by the bottom surface 61fd of the guide groove of the slide member 61 hitting the slide support portion 70d of the insertion guide 29.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the posture switching lever 53. The posture switching lever 53 is made of a wire having elasticity similar to that used for a spring, and one end thereof is fixed by the first lever support part 57 and the second lever holding part 58 of the insertion guide 29. The other end is supported only on the lower side by the third lever support part 59 of the insertion guide 29. The posture switching lever 53 is held by the insertion guide 29 so as to be retracted in the direction of arrow R531 in FIG. 9 when the posture switching portion 62a of the swinging member 62 comes into contact with it.

(Cleaning operation)
Next, the cleaning operation of the cover glass 31 will be explained. The cleaning unit 60 is linked to the movement of the cartridge 12 installed in the image forming apparatus 1 .

10 to 14 are diagrams showing the operation of the cleaning unit 60 when a cartridge is inserted. On the other hand, FIGS. 15 to 17 are diagrams showing the operation of the cleaning unit 60 when the cartridge is pulled out. (a) in each figure is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the cleaning unit 60 in the entire cover glass 12, and (b) in each figure is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the cleaning unit 60 in the entire cover glass 12. It is an enlarged view of the vicinity. Note that in order to clearly show the movements of the swinging member 62 and the rotating member 66, which are a part of the cleaning unit 60, the slide member 61, which is a part of the cleaning unit 60, is omitted in FIG. Further, only a first contact portion 41 and a second contact portion 42, which are a part of the cartridge 12, are illustrated.

(When inserting a cartridge)
First, the operation of cleaning the cover glass 31 by the cleaning unit 60 in conjunction with the operation of inserting the cartridge 12 into the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIGS. 10A and 10B show a state before the cartridge 12 and the cleaning unit 60 come into contact with each other. In this state, the cleaning unit 60 is waiting at the home position (the position shown in FIG. 10(a)). The symbol G indicates foreign matter adhering to the surface of the cover glass 31. Further, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are in contact with the surface of the cover glass 31. When the cartridge 12 is inserted from the state where the cleaning unit 60 is located at the home position (moved in the +Y direction), the second contact portion 42 of the cartridge 12 slips through the gap between the slide member 61 and the rotating member 66. .

As shown in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b), when the cartridge 12 is pushed further, the first abutting part 41 of the cartridge 12 abuts the abutting part 61a of the slide member 61, and from then on, the cleaning unit 12 to move in the +Y direction. Then, the posture holding part 66b provided on the rotating member 66 rides on the rotating member holding part 55 of the insertion guide 29, so that the rotating member 66 rotates as shown by the arrow R661 in FIG. 11(b), The attitude of the rotating member 66 is switched.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, when the cartridge 12 is pushed further, the cleaning unit 60 moves in the +Y direction with the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 in contact with the cover glass 31. When the cleaning unit 60 is moving in the +Y direction (cleaning the cover glass 31), the swinging member 62 is pressed against the cover glass 31 by the urging force of the spring 65, and the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are pressed against the cover glass 31. It is in contact with the cover glass 31. Furthermore, a rail-shaped regulating section 51 regulates the floating of the posture switching section 62a on the tip side of the swinging member 62. When the cover glass 31 is being cleaned with the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64, the abutting portion 62da of the swinging member 62 abuts against the cover glass 31 and is guided by the cover glass 31. That is, the cover glass 31 serves as a first guide for the swinging member 62.

Thereafter, the cleaning unit 60 reaches near the end of the cover glass 31 (near the end in the +Y direction). At this position, the attitude switching portion 62a of the swinging member 62 and the attitude switching lever 53 attached to the insertion guide 29 are in contact with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b), when the cartridge 12 is further pushed in, the end of the attitude switching lever 53 is pushed by the attitude switching part 62a of the swinging member 62, as shown in FIG. 13(b). part retreats in the direction of arrow R531.

When the cartridge 12 is further pushed in, the insertion of the cartridge 12 into the image forming apparatus 1 is completed and the movement of the cleaning unit 60 is also completed, as shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b). When the attitude switching section 62a moves in the +Y direction from the end of the attitude switching lever 53, the attitude switching lever 53 returns to its original position due to the elastic force of the wire spring.

(When removing the cartridge)
Next, the operation of the cleaning unit 60 when pulling out the cartridge 12 from the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

When the cartridge 12 is pulled out (moved in the -Y direction) from the state shown in FIGS. 14(a) and (b), the second abutment provided on the cartridge 12 is The portion 42 contacts the contact portion 66a of the rotating member 66. As a result, the cleaning unit 60 moves in the -Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the cartridge 12. At this time, the cleaning unit 60 moves in the -Y direction while the posture holding part 66b of the rotation member 66 comes into contact with the rail-shaped rotation holding part 55 of the insertion guide 29. Even if the rotating member 66 receives a force from the second contact portion 42, the rotation holding portion 55 receives the posture holding portion 66b, so the rotation member 66 does not rotate and rotates while maintaining a stable posture. Slide the movable holding part 55. Therefore, the movement of the cleaning unit 60 becomes smooth.

As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, as the cartridge 12 is pulled out, the attitude switching portion 62a of the swinging member 62 comes into contact with the upper surface of the slope of the attitude switching lever 53. Then, since the attitude switching section 62a moves along the slope of the attitude switching lever 53, one end of the swinging member 62 is lifted in the direction of arrow R621, and the swinging member 62 is gradually tilted.

When the cartridge 12 is further pulled out, the attitude switching section 62a finishes moving up the slope of the attitude switching lever 53, as shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b). At this time, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 of the cleaning unit 60 are separated from the surface of the cover glass 31 because the swinging member 62 is tilted significantly as shown by the arrow R622. Furthermore, since the abutting portion 62d of the swinging member 62 is in contact with the cover glass 31, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are reliably separated from the cover glass 31. One of the two abutting portions 62d shown in FIG. 6(b) covers the cover at a position shifted in the +X direction from the optical path (laser light passage area) of the cover glass 31 in the sub-scanning direction (the lateral direction of the cover glass 31). It hits glass 31. Further, the other of the two abutting portions 62d abuts against the cover glass 31 at a position shifted in the -X direction from the laser beam passage area of the cover glass 31. Therefore, the cleaning unit 60 can be returned to the home position without contaminating the optical path of the cover glass 31.

When the cartridge 12 is further pulled out from the positions shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the cleaning unit 60 moves in the -Y direction while the posture switching section 62 slides on the separation holding section 52 provided on the insertion guide 29. . During this movement, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 remain separated from the surface of the cover glass 31.

As shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), the spacing holding portion 52 provided on the insertion guide 29 is cut off at its end in the −Y direction to form a notch portion 54. As shown in FIGS. When the cleaning unit 60 moves to this position, the posture switching section 62 is no longer held in the notch section 54. Then, the swinging member 62 rotates in the direction of arrow R623 by the biasing force of the spring 65, and switches to a contact state in which the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are in contact with the cover glass 31.

Further, the rotating member holding portion 55 is also interrupted at the end in the −Y direction. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), the rotating member 66 rotates in the direction of arrow R662 by the force received from the second contact portion 42 of the cartridge 12. When the cartridge 12 is further pulled out, the second contact portion 42 no longer contacts the contact portion 66a, and the cleaning unit 60 no longer moves in conjunction with the movement of the cartridge 12. Then, the cartridge 12 is completely pulled out from the image forming apparatus 1 while the cleaning unit 60 remains at the home position shown in FIG. 10(a).

As described above, in this example, while the cleaning unit 60 is moved in the first direction in conjunction with the mounting operation of the cartridge 12, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are brought into contact with the cover glass 31. to clean up. When the cleaning unit 60 is moved in conjunction with the extraction operation of the cartridge 12, the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 are separated from the cover glass by the attitude switching lever provided on the insertion guide 29 at the initial stage of extraction. The separation state is maintained by the separation holding portion 52 of the insertion guide 29. Further, at the end of the movement of the cleaning unit 60 in the cartridge withdrawal direction, the separation holding section is interrupted, and the cleaning sheet 63 and the wiping member 64 switch from the separated state to the abutting state with respect to the cover glass 31.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus of this example, when the cleaning unit 60 moves along the guide 29 of the cleaning unit with the cleaning parts 63 and 64 in contact with the cover glass 31, the first swing member 62 guide (cover glass 31). Further, the second guide 52 is a swinging member when the cleaning unit 60 moves along the guide 29 of the cleaning unit with the cleaning parts 63 and 64 spaced apart from the cover glass 31. The first guide 31 and the second guide 52 are different. With this configuration, when the cleaning unit 60 moves with the cleaning parts 63 and 64 spaced apart from the cover glass 31, it is possible to prevent the cleaning parts 63 and 64 from coming into contact with the cover glass 31.

[Example 2]
Next, Example 2 will be explained. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the configuration described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

This example differs from Example 1 in the configuration of the posture switching lever that switches the posture of the cleaning unit 60. 18(a) and (b) are partial cross-sectional views of the insertion guide 29. FIG. FIG. 18(a) is a diagram immediately before the posture switching part 62a of the cleaning unit 60 comes into contact with the posture switching lever 67 (a diagram at the same timing as FIG. 12(b) of the first embodiment), and FIG. is a diagram showing a state in which the posture switching portion 62a contacts the posture switching lever 67, and the posture switching lever 67 rotates in the direction of arrow R671 and retreats.

The posture switching lever 67 is rotatably supported by the lever support shaft 56 of the insertion guide 29, and the biased portion 67a receives a biasing force from a biasing member (spring) 68 provided on the lever support shaft 56. . Then, the posture switching lever 67 receives a force in the R672 direction from the spring 68, hits the third lever support portion 59 provided on the insertion guide 29, and is held.

When the cartridge 12 is inserted into the image forming apparatus and the attitude switching portion 62a comes into contact with the attitude switching lever 67, the attitude switching lever 67 is retracted as shown in FIG. 18(b). Furthermore, when the attitude switching part 62a passes through in the +Y direction, the attitude switching lever 67 returns to the standby position shown in FIG. 18(a) due to the urging force of the urging member 68.

Here, the attitude switching lever 67 is made of a resin material with good sliding properties, and the biasing member 68 uses a torsion coil spring. As a result, the sliding performance between the posture switching section 62a and the posture switching lever 67 is improved compared to the posture switching lever 53 using a wire spring in the first embodiment, and the operability of the operation of the cleaning unit 60 and the insertion/extraction operation of the cartridge 12 is improved. It becomes possible to improve the

Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the same effect can be obtained even if the posture is maintained by the weight of the posture switching lever 67 without applying a biasing force from the biasing member to the posture switching lever 67.

29 Insertion guide 31 Cover glass 60 Cleaning unit

Claims (1)

The device body,
a scanner unit that scans a surface to be scanned with light according to image information, the scanner unit having a light transmitting member that blocks the exit of the light of the scanner unit;
a detachable unit that can be attached to and detached from the device main body;
a cleaning unit that cleans the light transmitting member, the cleaning unit moving in conjunction with the attachment/detachment operation of the detachable unit;
a guide for the cleaning unit that guides movement of the cleaning unit;
has
In an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording material according to image information,
The cleaning unit includes a main body of a cleaning device that moves along a guide of the cleaning unit, and a cleaning section that comes into contact with the light transmitting member to clean the light transmitting member, and is swingable with respect to the main body. a swinging member;
a first guide of the swinging member when the cleaning unit moves along the guide of the cleaning unit with the cleaning unit in contact with the light transmission member; and a first guide of the swinging member when the cleaning unit is in contact with the light transmission member; a second guide of the swinging member when the cleaning unit moves along the guide of the cleaning unit in a separated state ;
A switching part for switching the swinging member from a state where the swinging member is guided by the first guide to a state where the swinging member is guided by the second guide, the switching part being a part of the second guide. have,
The switching part is formed of an elastic wire,
When the swinging member, which is guided by the first guide and moves, comes into contact with the switching section, the switching section is pushed by the attitude switching section of the swinging member, and the switching section is elastically deformed, so that the switching section changes to the attitude. When pushed further by the switching part, the attitude switching part overcomes the switching part and returns to its original position due to elasticity, so that the attitude switching part becomes movable along the second guide. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

Images